NCAA

Prince Eze was always NCAA 94 MVP, not CJ Perez

Norman Lee Benjamin Riego on Nov 12, 2018 04:44 PM

Prince Eze finished three points ahead of closest competitor CJ Perez in the MVP race - that was before Perez got disqualified for any individual award

Prince Eze is, hands down, the Most Valuable Player in the NCAA 94 Men’s Basketball Tournament.

That goes with or without CJ Perez in the MVP race.

University of Perpetual Help’s Nigerian powerhouse finally hoisted that much-wanted trophy on Monday at the MOA Arena. “My teammates are the MVPs because they know how to make me look good. Even if I was down, the team, the coaches, and the school lifted me up,” he told reporters afterward.

Seemingly, in the eyes of some of the Pirates’ faithful, Eze got the award that should have went to CJ Perez.

That, however, is not the truth at all.

The Altas’ big man was the unquestioned winner of the MVP race, with the best Player All-around Value (PAV) of 61.39 built on averages of 17.9 points in 49.8 percent shooting, 16.3 rebounds, and 3.3 blocks and a semifinals finish.

That was more than three points better than Perez who had a PAV of 58.28.

In the end, though, LPU’s main man was disqualified from any individual awards by virtue of the one-game suspension he was slapped with.

Still, it should be made clear that with or without Perez in the Mythical Team, the top individual player in the league would still be Eze. “I wish CJ was here also. He’s a good player and I respect him,” the latter said.